Why the polytheism of Hindus (and their texts) leaves the monotheistic West confused

[A longer version of this article first appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books.]Polytheism can be a terribly confusing affair to monotheists. The confusion is not just spiritual but material and cultural. Non-practising or secular people brought up in monotheistic cultures are just as likely to find polytheism bewildering. Attitudes toward polyandry or polygamy in societies that enshrine monogamous partnerships display a similar dynamic, but the problem is not merely the one versus Read more [...]

Kaivalya, the State of Aloneness

by Jayaram VSo long as there is a limitation, deficiency or imperfection, that far one should serve the teacher. Kaivalya Upanishad, From the Selected Upanishads by Jayaram VWhen the self-restrained ascetic attains the state of mental inertia then only he reaches that highest state. Wherever the mind of the self-restrained ascetic rests that alone is the highest state. Kaivalya Upanishad, From the Selected Upanishads by Jayaram VFor a spiritual person who knows the nature of pure Self, knowledge Read more [...]

Hinduism And The Evolution of Life And Consciousness

by Jayaram VThe evolution of life in Hinduism through the transformative and diversification process of Prakriti is not only about the evolution of the physical body, but also the evolution of the mind, ego, and intelligence in which desire and dynamism are the first manifestations, bondage and delusion, the intermediary, and liberation, the final. Jayaram VHinduism believes in the concept of evolution of life on earth. Although it is not the same as the one known to modern science, in many ways Read more [...]

Symbolism of Ganga As the Purifier and Liberator

by Jayaram VNote: This is next in series to the Symbolism of the Descent of Ganga (Gangavataran) in which I have explained the deeper symbolism hidden in the descent of the River Ganga from the highest heaven and its manifestation upon earth. Here I have explained the importance of the river as a purifier and liberator. I may keep improving this essay as the knowledge of the Ganga flows into my mind. Jayaram VThose who are familiar with the beliefs and practices of Hinduism know that the River Ganga Read more [...]